When it comes to beautiful skin, we often lean heavily on what we can put on—or in (hello, injectables)—our skin, like face and eye creams or sunscreen. Turns out, what you put in your body as part of your daily diet can help keep you looking youthful, too—as well as help fight inflammation, which plays a role in physical ailments such as psoriatic arthritis and diabetes.
7-Day Meal Plan for Healthy Skin
Here are 12 foods to help fight wrinkles and inflammation, as well as boost collagen and hydration for healthy, younger-looking skin.
1. Kale
This leafy green has already reached nutrition superstardom, but now you can add anti-aging skin powers to its list of accolades. Kale is brimming with lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that, according to research published in the journalClinics in Dermatology,can boost your skin’s elasticity and hydration, as well as the fat under your skin, which acts as a “measure” of youthfulness. Lutein specifically also appears to be able to shield your skin from a particularly harmful wavelength of light (and one that sunscreen isn’t very good at protecting against) called blue light. Don’t like kale? Tryavocadosinstead—they’re also full of lutein and zeaxanthin.
2. Dark Chocolate
Pictured Recipe:Chocolate Nut Bark
Great news, chocolate lovers—dark chocolate offers some serious anti-aging benefits. Cocoa beans, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, is packed with antioxidants that canreduce inflammation from UV exposure, increase circulation and help your skin better retain moisture. This is a winning formula for glowing, healthy skin.
Dark chocolate is alsorich in magnesium, another inflammation-fighting nutrient. Magnesiumreduces stressand improves sleep duration and quality, which plays a role in skin aging. Just be sure to check the added sugars content of your favorite dark chocolate bar—too much sugar could wreak havoc on your skin. Research from Baylor University College of Medicine shows sugar has a negative affect on collagen fibers and cancause skin to appear more stiffand less elastic.
3. Berries
Pictured Recipe:Mascarpone & Berries Toast
Thankfully, eating to age gracefully doesn’t have to mean cutting outalltypes of sugar. Some fruits play a major role in keeping skin looking youthful and vibrant. Berries are packed with vitamin C—a common ingredient in anti-aging skin products—and antioxidants that fight off free radicals aging the skin.
4. Spices
Pictured Recipe:Anti-Inflammatory Golden Tonic
Turns out, your spice cabinet is your next great anti-aging tool. Certain spices, like oregano, cinnamon and cloves,contain lipoic acid—a compound that acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. Lipoic acid helpsstiumulate antioxidant productionthroughout the body and removes heavy metals responsible for oxidative stress. While lipoic acid is naturally present in the body, you can boost your intake through certain foods (like these aromatic spices).
We can’t talk about inflammation without mentioning turmeric. Turmeric has been used medically in other cultures for centuries to combat and prevent inflammation, and has recently become a popular supplement of choice in the Western world. This pungent spice can also helpprotect against depression, arthritis and certain cancers.
5. Watermelon
Everyone’s favorite summertime fruit deserves a spot in your anti-aging diet all year long. Watermelon ispacked with vitamins A, C and E—which all show to boost skin health—and powerful antioxidants like lycopene, making it the ultimate food for youthful skin. Watermelon is also seriously hydrating, as it is92% water. Staying hydrated is essential for keeping your skin glowing and vibrant.
6. Walnuts
Pictured Recipe:Mocha Overnight Oats
Walnuts have themost antioxidant power of any nutand are an excellent source of omega-3 fats. This combination makes them a great inflammation-fighting snack for better skin (and health in general). Walnuts are also great for boosting your gut health. The health of our microbiome is closely related to skin health, and proper gut healthhelps the skin stay in homeostasisfor optimal protection, temperature regulation and water retention.
7. Grapes
Grapes contain resveratrol (yes, the antioxidant found in red wine) that is known to boost heart health. This antioxidant alsoprotects collagen from free radicalsand blood vessels. Collagen helps to protect the skin’s elasticity, so you can stay glowing and vibrant for years to come. We’ll cheers to that!
8. Pomegranates
Pictured recipe:Pomegranate, Cranberry & Brie Bruschetta
Pomegranates—and raspberries—are packed with ellagic acid, a compound that research shows could naturally help prevent wrinkles from forming. A study published inExperimental Dermatologyfound that ellagic acid prevents the breakdown of skin-firming collagen, and also prevents some UV-induced inflammation. Thus, ellagic acid can slow the chain of skin-aging reactions that occur as a result of that inflammation.
9. Probiotics
Pictured recipe:Homemade Kimchi
Newer research suggests that some probiotic strains can help prevent or minimize UV-induced skin damage. Other strains have been shown to help maintain a lower skin pH (aging skin has a higher pH) or scavenge for harmful free radicals. But, as with most research on probiotics, specific strains are required to see benefits, and they aren’t always ones that can be found in actual food products. That said, there are so manypotential benefits of consuming probioticsin the form of yogurt or kefir, fermented veggies like sauerkraut and kimchi, soy sauce or miso, etc., that adding them to your diet for skin health won’t hurt, even if it’s too soon to say they’ll make a significant difference for your skin.
10. Coffee
11. Bone broth
Bone broth contains plentiful collagen, and that’s why you’ll want to add it to your diet for a more youthful glow. Although most of the research is on animals, not humans, studies show that consuming collagen may increase some types of skin collagen, and also decrease an enzyme that breaks down collagen. Consuming collagen may also help lessen sun-induced dry skin. Meat is also rich in collagen, and be sure to include vitamin C-rich foods, like citrus, kiwi and bell peppers, since vitamin C is important for collagen production.
12. Salmon
Pictured recipe:Cajun Salmon with Greek Yogurt Remoulade
Those good-for-you omega-3s in salmon and other fatty fish like tuna and sardines (plus some shellfish like oysters and mussels) could help you stay looking young and maybe even save you from a sunburn. Don’t ditch the sunscreen altogether, but research indicates that omega-3s quell inflammation that flares up in your skin after UV exposure, and also act like a natural sunblock, helping to prevent sunburn. And don’t forget: those omega-3s aren’t only beneficial to your skin, they’re also good for your heart.
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